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Grading the Miami Dolphins against Philadelphia (take a bow, receivers)

Grading the Dolphins for their wild 38-31 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in preseason Game No. 3 on Thursday night:

Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler officially was 5-of-8 for 105 yards and a TD but was robbed of another score when cornerback Ronald Darby mowed down Kenny Stills in the end zone. Add in what should have been a 43-yard TD and it’s 6-of-9 for 148 and a near-perfect 149.3 QB rating. In what the Dolphins hope is a sign of things to come, Cutler spotted DeVante Parker and Darby running stride for stride down the sideline and trusted his man to come up with the ball. Result: 72-yard completion to set up a TD. Matt Moore had a rough start with two quick turnovers including a pick-six and a couple of forced throws while others were open.

Grade: B

Running backs

Jay Ajayi saw his first significant action of the preseason and averaged 5.8 yards. Any questions?

Grade: B

Receivers

So maybe offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen wasn’t going so far out on a limb with his prediction that DeVante Parker would have a “gigantic” year. Parker’s 72-yard reception showed what he can do when he’s healthy and using his physical gifts against mismatched DBs. Tight end Julius Thomas made the most noise of his preseason with a 1-yard TD catch, but he and Matt Moore couldn’t connect on a deflected pick-six for Philly. More impressive: Jakeem Grant scoring on that stunning, 69-yard catch or not getting killed when sandwiched between two defenders?

Offensive line

The preseason debut of center Mike Pouncey coincided with Jay Ajayi scoring twice by ramming it up the middle, an ability in the red zone that will be huge without Ryan Tannehill. (Remember, Ajayi averaged 130 yards per game with Pouncey in 2016, 62.2 without.) Right guard Jermon Bushrod did well on an Ajayi TD. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil allowed an early sack that resulted in a Jay Cutler fumble. Right tackle Ja’Wuan James was beaten on a play in which Cutler avoided disaster by unloading a “pass” before a potential strip-sack-fumble.

Grade: C-plus

Defensive line

Has Jordan Phillips gotten the message? Phillips needed a good performance to close the gap with fifth-round pick Davon Godchaux. He snagged a deflected pass for an interception, showed dexterity we saw last season on an interception return, then nearly scored and nearly fumbled to set up a touchdown. Godchaux committed a facemask penalty. As for the guys who don’t act their age, Cameron Wake and Andre Branch made Eagles QBs irritable.

Grade: B

Linebackers

Lawrence Timmons is another player who justified the Dolphins’ expectations. Timmons had a quarterback pressure, then made an interception on a play in which he’d been engaged with his man near the line of scrimmage but sensed the pass was coming. Before the ball was released, Timmons back-pedaled to make an athletic grab.

Grade: B

Defensive backs

Torrey Smith took advantage on confusion in the secondary for a quick, 50-yard touchdown that set the tone. Byron Maxwell had been talking about how much he was looking forward to playing his old team, but it turned out his old team enjoyed playing against him. Maxwell seemed to have a target on his back, starting in the mixup with safety Reshad Jones on Smith’s score. There was plenty of that to go around, because you can’t give up 258 passing yards in a half without it being a team effort. Overall, Philly amassed 426 yards.

Grade: D

Special teams

Andrew Franks nailed a 56-yard field goal to highlight a solid evening by a unit that needed it after a disastrous showing vs. the Ravens.